4 Kids TV Shows Packed with Crucial Lessons for Online Gamblers

Just for kids? Think again. In addition to valuable life lessons, these shows can teach you a thing or two about how to excel at the online casino.

Gambling may be an adults-only activity, but “children’s television” (notice I use the term begrudgingly) is something that often cuts across age groups. Anyone who has watched Sponge Bob Squarepants, Tom & Jerry or Rocky & Bullwinkle understands that sometimes these shows get better as the viewer ages.

For the connoisseur of online gambling sites in the US
or Britain, many of these children’s classics can teach valuable lessons about how to log out with more than what you came in with. We’ll give four prime examples.

#1 Sesame Street

This one is kind of a gimme. The classic show has been teaching kids to count since 1969. If you plan to make money playing online blackjack, expertise in card counting is a great way to do it. The trick doesn’t require mathematical genius, just the ability to quickly and accurately count each card as it is being dealt. You assign a +1 to cards 2-6, 0 to cards 7-9, and -1 to face cards. If the count becomes highly positive, you can expect more face cards to be dealt in upcoming hands. This is advantageous to the player, so the wager should increase accordingly. Many an expert counter cut their teeth with Sesame Street.

#2 Curious George

This classic book series-turned-TV show features a pet ape whose curiosity always gets him into sticky situations. But in the end, things turn out okay and he learns some valuable life lessons. Moral of the story: while things can get a bit messy, keeping a curious outlook is well worth it. What does this mean for online gambling? Be curious when looking for an internet casino. Hunt around for the best bonuses and lowest house edges.

Most online casinos in the UK
for example offer special sign-up bonuses to new players. This is a sum generally between $100 and $500 which is given to the player for free, although before being able to cash out they have to meet the wagering requirement, a minimum amount of money (well over the bonus) they must bet at the casino. So look for the most advantageous bonuses, and if you’re a slot player (we don’t recommend you to be one) hunt around for the highest payouts. You’ll be well rewarded in the end.

#3 Duck Tails

Yours truly was a big fan of this cartoon during his childhood in the long-forgotten 1990s. The show featured the wealthy Scrooge McDuck and his nephews Huie, Louie and Dewey. Rather than treating Ol’ Scrooge as a greedy miser, Duck Tails celebrates the virtue of thrift.

• While gambling is adults-only, kids TV shows can teach valuable lessons for people of all age groups
• Popular shows teach gambling-related lessons like bonus hunting, quitting while you’re ahead, counting, and putting the time in to become an expert in your game of choice
• The most important lesson of all: do your homework! Learn the strategies and house edges of each game in order to maximize your winnings.

Rather than spend his money, Scrooge invests in gold coins, collecting them in a giant grain silo type thingy which he then swims in. For the online gamblers out there, this teaches the valuable lesson of saving one’s winnings by quitting while ahead. If you’ve had a successful evening at the online blackjack table, don’t be afraid to pack it in and bank your winnings.

Remember, casinos are in business because they make money off of your losses. Many players win early on and keep playing, eventually losing their initial winnings and then some. We generally advise quitting while you’re ahead for two reasons: it prevents you from leaving empty-handed, and it prevents you from developing problem gambling habits.

#4 Arthur

This children’s classic features Arthur Read, an aardvark who lives with his family in Elwood City. He wears glasses and has a generally nerdy persona (his last name is “Read,” enough said). This show teaches many valuable life lessons, but one important one is: “always do your homework.” Arthur and his friend “The Brain” always put school first, doing A+ work for their teacher Mr. Ratburn (in case you were wondering, he is a rat). The lesson for gamblers: establish expertise in your game of choice before you start playing for money.

This applies to any game of skill, and games of chance you should avoid in the first place. Blackjack experts recommend spending at least 20 hours learning basic strategy before playing in a casino, and another 40 hours of counting practice if you want to start counting at a casino. Counting is legal according to American gambling laws but will get you the boot from any casino, so train yourself in deception. In addition, do your homework on house edge, targeting games with lower edges (blackjack and baccarat). The geeky old saying holds true: “before you can earn, you have to learn.”